02/11/2010 - Of note locally today were:

1 Siskin
c60 Pied Wagtails (feeding in the sheep fields)
2 Common Gulls

A chilly but pleasant hours walk round the patch with the dog 4.45pm-5.45pm:

6 Common Snipe (a record number)
50+ Pied Wagtail (put up by the local Sparrowhawk and presumably all heading for the Airport roost)
2 Cormorants
3 BH Gulls
2 Mallard
1 Goldcrest (after searching through every single bird in a large Tit flock through the orchard)
2 Mistle Thrushes and lots of Redwings and Fieldfares on the fields now



-- Edited by Phil Owen on Saturday 23rd of October 2010 06:33:59 PM

21/10/2010 - 8am-1pm - Long walk today but generally quiet and none of the hoped for thrush movement in the south of the county it seems. Nothing yesterday either. Stuff seen included:

2 Lesser Redpolls
5 Meadow Pipits
2 Fieldfare
c50 Redwings
2 Grey Wagtails
c20 Pied Wagtails
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
4 Black-headed Gulls
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Buzzard
1 Grey Heron

19/10/2010 - 3-4.30pm with Phil Owen:

3 Swallows - late birds, moved south in front of heavy showers

3 Common Snipes
1 Common Gull
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
27 Black-headed Gulls
16 Pied Wagtails
10 Mistle Thrushes
2 Buzzards
1 Sparrowhawk

A nice hour walk in the Sunshine round Shay Lane Sheep fields 1.15pm-2.15pm

2 Common Snipe
1 Skylark (calling overhead)
1 Coal Tit
1 Grey Heron
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Buzzards
1 Sparrowhawk
amongst others

A few Redwings feeding in the hedgerows and a small group flying over migrating Southwards.

16/10/2010 - A beautiful crisp, clear, calm morning and lots of acitivty from the winter visitors:

1 Skylark
1 alba Wagtail
2 Fieldfares
c60 Redwings
c200 Woodpigeons
4 Common Snipes
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (flyover)
2 Buzzards
1 Kestrel

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Saturday 16th of October 2010 01:20:09 PM

Nice evening walk with the dogs along with my Brother, Nephew and Niece 4.45pm-6.30pm.

10 Redwings (feeding in the hedgerows)
3 Common Snipe
8 Grey Herons
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Mistle Thrushes
4 Mallards
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Cormorants (over)
amongst others and a noticable movement of Finches.

A nice walk in the Sunshine and my niece was so pleased to see her first Redwing!!

5.15pm-6.30pm.

2 Buzzards
5 Grey Heron
2 Common Snipe
1 Jay
4 BH Gulls
2 LBB Gulls
2 Mallards
Lots of Corvids feeding on the Sheep fields (Rooks, Jackdaws and Carrion Crows)

30/09/2010 - 7am-2pm - Some great viz-mig this morning, most stuff heading north with the light wind:

c70 Skylarks (over in one super-flock, smashed the local record)
c70 Meadow Pipits
24 alba Wagtails
6 Grey Wagtails
1 Redwing
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Reed Bunting
2 Siskins
2 Redpoll sp
1 Swallow
200+ Woodpigeon
c40 Pink-footed Geese (flew West at 11am)
4 Mallards
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Black-headed Gull


-- Edited by Henry Cook on Thursday 30th of September 2010 02:49:31 PM

29/09/2010 - a short walk after the day's monsoon:

1 Green Sandpiper (2nd patch record, around one of the ponds in the sheep fields)
4 Cormorants (flying towards Rostherne)
1 Sparrowhawk

28/09/2010 - 3-4pm, signs of movement the big wave is yet to come:

2 Redwings
17 Pied Wagtails
1 Grey Wagtail
112 Starlings
7 Mistle Thrushes
1 House Martin

22/09/2010 - 7-8.30am - Early morning migration still going strong and more thrushes and starlings moving into the area now. Viz-mig totals:

97 Meadow Pipits
2 Grey Wagtails
6 alba Wagtails
2 Linnets
14 Goldfinches
2 Chaffinches
11 Swallows
2 Song Thrushes
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c60 Woodpigeons

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Wednesday 22nd of September 2010 08:50:02 AM

21/09/2010 - 3-5pm with Phil Owen in the Davenport Green sheep fields.

1 Siskin (first of the autumn over)
2 Grey Wagtails
1 alba Wagtail
1 Black-headed Gull
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
3 Stock Doves
c120 Starlings

17/09/2010 - 7-9am, big change in conditions from yesterday to calm, sunny and chilly weather this morning. The Little Owl was calling once again in the same area as yesterday but most interest was from flyovers.

Viz-mig totals (going south unless mentioned otherwise below):

72 Meadow Pipits (quietened off after 8.30am)
1 Sparrowhawk (spectacular mid-air chase of a Meadow Pipit which escaped, the sprawk continued high south)
1 Raven (N)
2 Jackdaws
1 Grey Wagtail (NE)
10 Mallards
1 Grey Heron
3 Linnets
1 Chaffinch
5 Goldfinch
2 Swallows
c100 Woodpigeons

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Friday 17th of September 2010 09:29:41 AM

16/09/2010 - 7-9am - windy NW still but some decent viz-mig on display. Best bird of the morning was a calling Little Owl up by Ash Lane, my first here! Viz-mig totals:

48 Meadow Pipits
1 Reed Bunting
3 Grey Wagtails
2 Stock Doves
c20 Woodpigeons
c40 Swallows

09/09/2010 - 7-9am - Sightings from the sheep fields:

3 Cormorants (over)
1 Teal
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk (chased by about 20 Magpies going ballistic)
2 Buzzards
2 Grey Wagtails (by the long pond)
1 alba Wagtail
7 Meadow Pipits
c70 Starlings

Quiet in the fields this evening with Phil Owen.
170+ Jackdaws going to roost and 3 probable Teal flew over southwards at 8pm in near darkness.

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Wednesday 8th of September 2010 09:01:58 PM

08/09/2010 - 6.30-8.30am - A half-decent Viz-mig count from Newall Green Ridge (aka Crowland Hill, Rowarth Hill etc), clear, still and chilly:

1 Grey Wagtail
1 alba Wagtail
33 Meadow Pipits
2 Stock Doves
1 Collared Dove
4 Feral Pigeons
c100 Woodpigeons
1 Chaffinch
5 Greenfinches
16 Goldfinches
c20 Swallows
1 Sand Martin
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
4 Black-headed Gulls

also, 2 Willow Warblers moving through the hedgerows were migrants and a further Grey Wagtail over at mid-day.


-- Edited by Henry Cook on Wednesday 8th of September 2010 02:59:48 PM

Hi Brandon. For most of the day many of the corvids are elsewhere and fairly elusive locally. I think this gathering was a pre-dusk feeding and social session before leaving to roost along Brooks Drive.

I was only thinking today I haven't seen any rooks for weeks on any of the places I haunt including this morning the field opposite the romper near the airport, if only I ventured a little further afield my search would have been successful, there were still plenty of swallows above the fields along sunbank lane.

-- Edited by brandon mulhern on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 08:36:49 PM

07/09/2010 - 6-8pm: quiet bar a large corvid flock which contained a few other species:

151 Jackdaws (A big spike in numbers occurs every year in September here)
4 Rooks
1 Stock Dove
1 Pied Wagtail

01/09/2010 - 7-9am: Similarly calm as yesterday. Covering the fields from Ash Lane over towards Newall Green:

1 Yellow Wagtail (over)
1 Lesser Whitethroat (migrant, near Timperley Brook)
1 Meadow Pipit (over)
5 Stock Doves
2 Grey Herons

31/08/2010 - 7-9am - Foggy first thing, burnt off quickly by the sun. Some viz-mig going on with the highlight being 2 Tree Pipits calling loudly overhead as they flew south.

2 Tree Pipits (over)
1 Meadow Pipit (over)
4 Skylarks (over)
1 Sand Martin (over, my first here following on from Phil's in the spring)
1 Swift (over)
9 House Martins (0ver)
c20 Swallows (over)
2 Stock Doves (over)
2 Grey Herons (not over!)
Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps still present but Whitethroats appear to have cleared out.

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Tuesday 31st of August 2010 09:51:41 AM

30/08/2010 - A quiet evening stroll just getting reaquainted with the local residents and regular flyovers after a few weeks away. Stuff seen included:

1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (over)
1 Cormorant (over)
1 Chiffchaff
1 Kestrel
1 Buzzard (and a begging juvenile)
2 House Martins
12 Swallows

Walk round the patch 5.30pm-7.00pm:

Amongst others were:

A flock of 200+ Goldfinches (including many juveniles) in the sheep fields feeding on Thistles
10 Grey Herons in the sheep field by the large pond
4 Swallows
1 Chiffchaff
1 Buzzard

08/08/2010 - On a flying visit there was a Raven present in the sheep fields first thing.

30/07/2010 - This mornings walk from 5am saw a smattering of grounded migrants and a little bit of movement, at last! 2 migrant Willow Warblers joined the resident birds, there also seemed to be more Chiffchaffs around but it was hard to determine whether these were just vocal locals. A single Pied/White Wagtail flew over going SW, a cause for optimism! Lots of Woodpigeons on the move now with a couple of Stock Doves thrown in. Otherwise it was quiet, with many adults keeping low whilst moulting but noisy juveniles making up for it. Still a few species raising young including Kestrels; only one brooded this summer it turns out, but the adults taking food to the well grown young, Swallows feeding a second brood on telephone wires, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Jays, Stock Doves, Common Whitethroat, Robins and Wrens all with dependant recently fledged juveniles.

28/07/2010 - Still very quiet and seemingly very little moving through the area. A few gulls over of Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed varieties along with some movenment of Woodpigeons but that's the lot. A roving flock of birds in the Newall Green fields caught my eye merely because of the large number involved of many different species and genera. 1 Reed Bunting, 6 Blackcaps, 7 Common Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 1 Chiffchaff, 12 Goldfinches, 6 Blue Tits, 3 Coal Tits, 1 Great Tit, 2 Goldcrests and several Robins were all moving through the bushes together. It is possible a few of these birds were just caught up with the flock as I was watching, but many of these birds were also in the flock yesterday morning. Can't really work out why these very different species are hanging out together apart from the presence of very active Kestrels (look to be raising a second brood!) and Sparrowhawks about right now perhaps.


-- Edited by Henry Cook on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 02:03:26 PM

23/07/2010 - After several lazy mornings and not making it out onto the patch until afternoon, it was really refreshing to see the large amount of activity still evident in the early hours of daylight this morning. Some real surprises were seen over in the Newall Green grasslands. Grasshopper Warbler sightings this summer have only been sporadic which I suppose is typical of this species but this morning I found an adult feeding a fairly well grown juv which was hiding in scrub. This is my first breeding record for the area.

Loads of other warblers around still including 2 families of Lesser Whitethroat, 3 families of Whitethroat and 3 families of Blackcap all still being tailed closely by adults. It seems that it has been an excellent breeding season for most of the passerines here including the smaller species such as Goldcrest (3+ families), Long-tailed Tit (4+ families) and Treecreeper (3 families). These numbers are relitively high compared to previous years but may also relate to more coverage than in previous years.

Also a Reed Bunting, 2 Black-headed Gulls, 8 Bullfinches, Kestrel, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk seen.

20/07/2010 - Ahead of heavy rain this afternoon were:

70+ House Martins (record flock for the patch, but not a single Sand)
30+ Swifts
12 Swallows
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Kestrel
1 Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk (always guarenteed to see in the garden on wet days like today. I think the noise of the rain on leaves makes it harder for the birds to hear surrounding alarm calls and the hawk takes full advantage of this!)
1 Stock Dove
1 Moorhen
1 Mallard

15/07/2010 - Squeezed in a short walk in between torrential showers this morning. All that wind and rain had obviously washed or blown the birds away as there was very little about!

1 Buzzard (being very elusive lately)
2 Sparrowhawks (very active around the garden in the last few weeks, taking a few young birds back to some hungry young sprawks)
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull (sub-ad)
8 Swifts
20+ Swallows
2 House Martins
3 Goldcrest (including juvs)
8 Bullfinches (including a few juvs)

14/07/2010 -

2 Black-headed Gulls (overhead, moving away from breeding colonies a bit more now)
+ usual summer fayre (not very much!)

08/07/2010 - A Tawny Owl showed well, if briefly, for me and Phil Owen this evening along Shay Lane. They've generally been thin on the ground (and air!) this year.

28/06/2010 - Pretty quiet lately but this evenings walk revealed a monster tit flock, numbering 71 birds. They kindly flew one after the other, from an isolated tree across a field to another group of trees making tallying the total easier. Largely made up of Long-tailed and Blue Tits, I think there were a few Great Tits in also. Hardly saw another tit on the walk so looks like they've all joined together like in winter for some reason.

Quick visit with dog this afternoon:

1 Lesser Whitethroat (Rattling away in Newall Green fields)
2 Pairs of Bullfinches
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull over
1 Female Reed Bunting (Crowland Hill)
2 Chiffchaffs
2 Blackcaps

Also lots of Meadow Browns and Burnets out together with a few Small Skippers and Large Skippers and 2 Speckled Woods.

22/06/2010 - 6-8am. An exciting moment of the morning was when a dark bird flew over at great altitude, riding on thermals but tricky to assess its size with nothing to scale it against. I thought wow, what kind of raptor could it be...? Turned out to be a Rook, the pale bill and bill base shone bright when it took a turn towards the sun and the hand of the wing held slightly backwards. Birding often brings me down to earth, metaphorically speaking, but that instant when you realise you might be watching something special is so thrilling.

2 Lesser Whitethroats (+1juv, surprisingly first time i've seen a juv on the patch)
1 Reed Bunting (Newall Green fields)
1 Buzzard (been elusive recently)
Many many families of birds around now.

20/06/2010 - 6.30-8am in the Newall Green fields:

1 Lesser Whitethroat - male rattling away, perhaps hoping for a second brood

19/06/2010 - 7-8pm:

13 Lapwings - probably the semi-resident flock which goes missing from time to time, but sadly all over-summering non-breeders as water-table too low and pasture over-stocked.

7.45pm-8.45pm yesterday evening:-

1 Pheasant
2 Kestrels
1 Whitethroat
1 Chiffchaff
1 Stock Dove
3 Mallards
6 Swifts
2 Swallows

amongst the usual species but with quite a few fledglings around now, Great Tits, Blue Tits etc etc.

Up to a couple of years ago before I left working at the aircraft hangars,a Barn Owl was frequently seen at the cargo center on Avro Way.
And Peregrines used to nest in the desserted British Airways hangar before the aircraft painters moved in.

Bit late, but nice one on the Barn Owl. Never used to see them anywhere in S Mcr/N. Cheshire. Not sure what the status is now, but still a great bird for the patch. Hoping to potter round the area a bit myself when i get back in a few days.
Cheers.

Phil Owen wrote:

---

Glad I found the Barn Owl yesterday Henry.

I searched the area after driving down the lane and catching a fleeting glimpse of an Owl species and managed to find it hunting nearby in the area where I initially thought it had headed towards.

I was amazed when it turned out to be a Barn Owl!!!



-- Edited by Phil Owen on Tuesday 11th of May 2010 09:02:20 AM

-- Edited by Phil Owen on Tuesday 11th of May 2010 09:26:29 AM

---

Unfortunately it had left Henry before I could also add it as a patch tick (common elsewhere but not here!!)

I scanned the fields with my 'scope but it was nowhere to be seen, despite my eyes trying to change a few of the sheep into a Swan (No bins with me!!)

Also around:-

2 Great-Spotted Woodpeckers
1 Lapwing
1 Kestrel
1 Pheasant
amongst others

06/06/2010 -

1 Mute Swan (present in the Davenport Green sheep fields just after 6.30pm. New patch species for myself. Phil Owen reports it had left by 8.20pm sadly.)
c20 Long-tailed Tits (possibly two family groups roving around together)
3 Kestrels
2 House Martins

01/06/2010 - 4-5pm in the Davenport Green sheep fields:

1 Great Black-backed Gull (sub-ad flew over Westwards, 2nd patch record)
5 Kestrels (including juvs)
2 Stock Doves
1 Reed Bunting
100+ Starlings (multiplied by a magnitude since the young have left their nests)
2 House Martins

26/05/2010 - 6.00-8.00am:

15 Lapwings
2 Lesser Whitethroats (gone really quiet now)
1 Garden Warbler (noisy)

Good news Phil. Look like it might be holding territory then.
I was out at 10pm looking for owls/groppers but the arsonists had been out again precluding any sightings, grrrrrr!

7.00pm-8.00pm

1 Garden Warbler (still present, singing away on Crowland Hill, the other may have re-located elsewhere on the fields now)
Willow Warbler
Chiffchaff
Whitethroat
A few Swallows and Swifts over Crowland Hill

Quick visit to Crowland Hill 2.30pm-3pm

2 Garden Warblers present (1 seen, another heard and the local Dunnock was enjoying singing along with them!!)

1 Chiffchaff
1 Great-Spotted Woodpecker
1 Buzzard
3 Swifts

Speckled Wood, Peacock and Green Veined White Butterflies about too.

24/05/2010 - 4.00-8.30am, Clear turning to cloud, breezy and cool:

1 Garden Warbler (Newall Green ridge)
3 Lesser Whitethroats
1 Willow Warbler
14 Lapwings
1 Grey Heron
4 Canada Geese
1 Cormorant (over)
1 Sparrowhawk
7 Stock Doves
4 Swifts
3 House Martins
1 Pied Wagtail

17/05/2010 - Pretty quiet now, a surge of juveniles to come soon though I hope. 2 Stock Doves and an early juvenile Great Tit around.